In the Dead of Night
by Mistress Distress
Summary: DH Spoiler, kind of. Lily is depressed over the loss of her former best friend, Severus Snape, and James talks to her. oneshot, slightly choppy. R&R flames accepted.


_In the Dead of Night_

In the dead of a starry night, at a time when love is most passionate and werewolves howl, James Potter ran a free hand through his already messy jet-black hair, and snuck a peak through the keyhole of the door to his dorm before opening it slowly, praying for silence. His prayers were granted.

"Thank you Merlin," James whispered, shutting the door behind him and nodding to the said man's portrait above the roaring fire place, which was always lit. A shadow fell across the carpet in front of it, shaking slightly.

Wait- shaking?

James's hazel eyes shot to the over-stuffed armchairs that rested in front of the fire. He saw a few wisps of red hair sticking up on one of them, and tried his best not to swear. Damn. Lily. However, she hadn't seemed to have heard him enter the room, and was sobbing quietly.

James ran his hand through his hair one more time, and slowly walked forward. Lily, still unaware of his presence, didn't look up when his shadow fell across her. For how could she? Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, clinging to her lashes before falling down her still forever beautiful face.

"L-Liy?" he said in a hushed tone. "Are you alright?" He braced himself. She hated it when people saw her cry, and hated it even more when he jumped her. She was a very proud teenager.

"Does it look like I'm alright?" she snapped, her tone failing to keep it's normal sharpness. Instead, a sob broke it, and she buried her face in her knees. Only then did James notice a picture lying on the ground, crumpled with it's edges torn.

"No... it doesn't." James sat on the opposite chair, yearning to comfort her. He couldn't even remember what had drawn him to leave his comfortable bed and roam the school like a lost dog. Maybe it had been another one of his bad dreams, or maybe it had been Sirius snoring...again.

"Just g-go! D-don't you have a fir-rrst year to tease? Sssome candy to steal from them?" her voice was muffled by her knees, but James still made it out, though he was slightly distracted. Her beautiful red hair was tumbling in every direction, giving the impression of a recently exploded volcano._ Well, she can be a hot head, _James mentally pointed out to himself.

"Seeing that it is midnight, the moon is high, and most first years are currently having nightmares of Slughorn and McGonagal making out (thanks to Sirius's more recently spread rumor), I'm not suppose to be anywhere at the moment." Lily removed her face from her knees. James was relieved to see her wiping away the last of her tears, and she was sort of smiling... which was enough to make his heart soar straight up to his throat.

"Not even bed?" she asked, her voice quiet. But James heard a smile in her voice, a laugh that she was forcing away. She never laughed at James's jokes, though she wanted to.

"Maybe... Why were you crying, Evans?" he asked, kindness and love dripping from his voice like honey. She had to answer, as much as she hated him.

"It's nothing..." Her voice was masked, but James saw her eyes wonder to the unknown photograph. Without thinking he made a grab for it.

"What's this?" he asked her quietly, now on the floor staring at the photo with confusion. Lily's expression was calm, but her emerald eyes seemed to be burning a hold in the picture. James looked down at it, frozen.

_Lily and Severus,_ it read below the picture itself in a child's scrawl. Snape had an arm around Lily, at some muggle playground. Their eyes sparkled with laughter, their carefree grins almost identical. Snape did not look up at James coldly, he smiled cheerfully and Lily did the same. How the two loathed him in real life...how happy they looked at him in the photo.

"Sni- Snape?" James whispered. Lily could not have been more than eight in the picture...before he'd ever met her. His heart seemed to be breaking as his eyes scanned the picture...

"Severus and I got into an argument today," she whispered, drawing James's attention away from the picture. She gently took the picture away, and James was left to stare at his hands. He sat up, staring at the fireplace with blank eyes.

"He hates me now, I know," she went on. "For calling him that foul name you and your buddy Black made up for him! And I him for calling me a mudblood. And you know what, James?" she was glaring now. "It's all your fault." James looked up and met her eyes. He looked as though he'd just been slapped in the face.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice sad, standing slowly. "I guess if it weren't for me, Snape and you would probably be dating by now." He took a step back, never breaking her gaze. "I'll leave you and- and _Snape _alone, then..." He turned then, and escaped the room and up to his dorm, leaving Lily with her guilt.

It was then, she realized, that James cared very much for her. Enough to leave her alone. And, although it would take her entire fifth year to admit, she was beginning to feel the same for him, Severus or no Severus.

So, blinking a few times, Lily stood and folded the photo, hiding it away in her nightdress pocket before making her way up to her bed, her mind clouded with thoughts of Snape and Potter... Severus and James...

* * *

A/N 

this was just something I put together after reading DH. I felt so bad for Snape, but I wanted James and Lily together. Although even I cannot deny that Lily may have had feelings for her former best friend also. R&R please, flames accepted. yes, I know this is sort of confusing and messed up, but I was bored.

-Poisoned Elfie


End file.
